Side Stories
by IcicleLilly
Summary: In between school and saving the world, the Young Justice team still finds time to be normal teenagers. Multiple pairings, no grapic content.
1. Dot Syndrome, Changes Culture, Different

Hello, people who stop to read this! I know these were originally separate stories, but I just keep thinking of different scenarios that I could do with the YJ crew, so I decided to put into one story. Updates will be random but (hopefully) frequent. The one shots will always come in threes, and they might all focus on one episode, or be completely different from each other. The rating will not change, as this story will not be graphic. The title will definitely change.

Reviews make me happy and update more

X

**Title: Dot Syndrome**

**Rating: K**

**Pairing: None**

Wally looked over to Superboy. "Dude. You've been staring at me for the past hour." Unsurprisingly, the staring didn't cease. Wally felt a blush rise on his cheeks and not for the first time in the last hour. Did he have something on his face?

"You're, uh, making me uncomfortable. Can you, like, stop?" Superboy's eyes squinted slightly and he cocked his head. Wally was reminded of a puppy that didn't know what its owner was telling it.

"Why do you have so many dots on your face?"

"Dots?"

"Yeah. Megan has them too."

"You mean freckles? A lot of people have them."

"No. You and Megan are the only people I've seen who have so many large dots."

"Well you haven't actually met that many people have you?"

Superboy scowled, and Wally felt the smug feeling of victory settle over him. "I have only met about twenty people so far. Considering that you and Megan are the only ones out of those people who have such visible dots I assumed you two had some sort of skin problem associated with your orange hair."

Wally flushed. First kids start laughing at his red hair (Wally_ so_ had a soul) and freckles, and now Superboy is making fun of them too?

"Well I'll have you know that some people purposefully dye their hair red and _wish_ that they had such an awesome hair color."

"Why would anybody want Dot Syndrome?" Wally face palmed.

"You know what? Just watch the TV."

It was until he saw The Flash without his mask that Superboy studied somebody else so closely ever again.

**Title: Changes in Culture**

**Rating: T**

**Pairing: Slight Black Canary X Miss Martian**

"Earthlings have many odd traditions," Megan commented out of the blue. They were all at the table for breakfast (Wally on his third bowl of cereal).

"Really? How does it differ from your planet's culture?" Kaldur inquired.

"Well, Earth's technology is very behind that of Martians. Your table manners and greetings were quite hard to figure out. And since I have been using telepathy all of my life, it was difficult to learn how to adjust to talking only verbally," Megan cutely put a finger to her chin, thinking. "Oh! And Earth has this weird thing called 'underwear'."

Time stopped.

Wally was the first to react, choking on his Reese' Puffs. Robin reacted after, blinking slowly before he quickly put a hand to his already smiling mouth. Superboy didn't seem to think it was odd.

"Megan," Kaldur said slowly, cautiously. "Who told you about underwear?"

"Oh, Black Canary did! She was so nice about it too. She even let me borrow some of her underwear."

"Wait a minute," Wally said, having recovered from the peanut butter chocolate flavor. "So up until we met Black Canary you went comman - without any underwear."

"No, it was until we sparred that I started wearing underwear," Megan shifted uncomfortably. "They fit me so weird. Especially the 'bra'. It's so constricting!"

Young Justice was silent.

Megan looked down at her watch. "I have to meet Black Canary for training in five minutes! See you guys later!"

As Megan fled the room, everyone looked at each other. What just happened?

**Title: Different**

**Rating: K**

**Pairing: None**

Everyone on his team was different. Kaldur had sharp features, and if looked at in the right lightening, cheekbones sharpening further into gills. His eyes were the most capturing thing about him, Superboy had decided. They were an odd, inhuman silvery color and Superboy remembers them to be calm, patient as he explained what was right and wrong with his actions, or what he should have done instead.

Wally had many problems with his face, Superboy was certain. Unnatural dots were splayed all over his body, but the most visible on his face. They were all different shapes and sizes, and admittedly pleasant to look at. Wally's face was shapely but not quite as sharp as Kaldur's, with slightly hollowed cheeks. His eyes, similar to the green of Robin's suit, were always playful and mischievous.

Megan was the most exotic of them all. The first thing Superboy noticed about her was her striking green flesh, until he looked at her eyes. They were warm brown color, shining brightly whenever the sun hit her just right, or whenever she smiled. Megan's hair, even oranger (Superboy squinted, debating if that was a word) than Wally's, which Superboy had originally thought was impossible.

Robin was the most average of them all behind his glasses. Average black hair, no dots or orange hair, and an average body shape of someone of his age. (Once, Superboy asked him why he was so small, and Robin had said incredulously, 'Dude. I'm only thirteen.' From which Superboy concluded that all thirteen year olds were small, lanky things). His face shape was rounded and boyish. Superboy wasn't aware of it, but only he could see the small changes in his face and body as he came out of his room in the morning as he approached adulthood.

All of Superboy's team was different, but he didn't mind.


	2. Piercings, Bath, Remember

Here's an update, and so close to the last one! Are you proud of me?

For the people that reviewed before, thank you for taking the time to do that! Hope some new people will take the time to do that now!

X

Title: Piercings

Rating: K

Pairing: Superboy X Miss Martian, if you squint

"Why do Earth women feel the need to put holes in their bodies?" Megan asked, closely watching a teenager dressed in ripped clothing with multiple piercings on her body.

Superboy, who was actually thinking the same thing replied, "I have no idea."

Megan (who was secretly happy that Superboy actually responded to her - she had trying to get his attention for the last half hour) smiled. "Maybe we should ask the rest of the team?"

Superboy grunted. Megan considered it a victory.

X

"Superboy and I were talking yesterday, and we were wondering why Earth women put holes in their body."

Wally internally snorted at the variety of jokes that could have come from the last part of Megan's sentence. Then, his head snapped toward Megan so fast that Robin wondered if he ever got any whip lash.

"He actually talked to you?" Wally turned towards Superboy and gaped. "I was trying to talk to you yesterday and didn't say one thing back to me!"

Superboy shrugged, and Wally tried to continue, but Megan swiftly cut him off. "So do you guys know why they put holes in their bodies?"

"Holes? Do you mean piercings?"

"That... Doesn't sound much better."

"It's actually a pretty wide spread idea among ancient cultures," Robin shrugged. "You know, the Romans, nipple piercings, ancient Egyptian pharaohs getting bellybutton piercings?"

Wally stared. "Dude. Why do you know that?"

"I get bored easily."

"What? So you just go and search random-"

"I think it's a great thing that Robin knows so much information," Megan quickly cut in. "It could come in handy sometimes."

"Oh yeah, cause knowing that the Romans had a nipple fetish is so gonna come in handy," Wally grumbled.

"What was that, Flash Kid?"

"Oh it is so on-" As the wrestle ensued, Megan internally sighed. She supposed she couldn't stop every squabble in the group. At least they got their information. Megan turned toward Superboy. He seemed to be thinking to himself, but Megan knew he heard.

She knew.

Title: Bath

Rating: K

Pairing: None

"Hey, Kaldur?" Wally called to him, the day after the Santa Prisca incident. It was a little past noon, and everyone was at the base, trying to heal their wounds.

"Yes, Wally?"

"Well... You know how taking a warm bath relieves pain and relaxes you and stuff?" Kaldur nodded. "When you're in Atlantis, how do you take a warm bath or a bath at all?"

"Since we do not sweat - as we are constantly immersed in water - there isn't much use for a bath," Kaldur thought for a moment. "You could probably go to the pacific ocean if you wanted to relax in the warmer waters, as Aquaman often does. Which also isn't needed, as Atlantians don't feel any changes in water temperatures," Kaldur's brow furrowed.

Wally slowly slinked away after a while as Kaldur questioned his mentor.

He never got his answer.

Title: Remember

Rating: K+

Pairing: None

Robin remembers his first night living with Bruce Wayne very well. The bed too large for his small body, the room too large for any sensible person. He remembers the sharp feeling of the cold spiking his nerves.

He had briefly debated going into Bruce's room, as he was so nice in the orphanage. Then he remembered how his personality had turned foul the moment they were alone in the car. Dick decided to stay put.

He remembers the warm feeling of his mother's hands as she put him to bed. She would snuggly tuck in the covers under his body. Dick remembered she called it a cocoon, and that when he woke up in the the morning he would be a wonderful butterfly, ready to face the new world.

Dick remembers feeling bad as he wrestled with the sheets, ruining the cocoon to get into a more comfortable position.

A thick sob escaped Dick. He'd never see his mom ever again. In his whole life. Or his dad. He was alone.

More sobs tumbled from his lips and the thought of staying silent escaped him. Dick's whole body shook violently and he pulled his legs to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

He hadn't realized someone was in his room until he felt him lie on the bed next to him and sigh. Bruce slowly unwrapped his arms and pulled the child's body closer to his.

Dick buried his face into Bruce's pajama top and sobbed helplessly in his chest. Sometime later, he calmed down. The silence in the room was deafening and Dick stiffened. He wondered if Bruce would leave.

He felt Bruce sigh again, before running his hands through his hair. It made him relax, reminding him of what his father use to do when he was sick or hurt or just... Whenever. He felt himself drift to sleep.


	3. Costco

Yes. I went there. I made a whole chapter about going to Costco. And it's over one thousand words, LOL. Thank you to all of my reviewers and readers :).

Disclaimer: I don't own Costco, Young Justice, George Bush, Ice Age, Percy Jackson, etc.,etc.

X

**Title: Costco**

**Rating: T**

**Pairing: None**

One day, the team gathered in the meeting/training room just as Batman's scowling face appeared on the big screen. "Today," The Dark Knight began, "You will receive a very special mission."

"Score!" Wally interrupted green eyes gleeful. "Are we gonna protect some princess from some land that nobody has heard of? Maybe we'll stop a secret organization from world domination! Or are-"

"Your mission," Batman continued, rudely cutting off Kid Flash. "Will be to get house supplies."

All was silent.

Wally, as usual, was the first to break, doubling over in laughter. "That's a good one, Bats, really. But seriously-"

"You will all go to Costco, as they have close to everything that you need there, not to mention that the bargains there are spectacular. Robin, you have your Costco Gold Card Membership in your utility belt, correct?"

"Yup," Robin said, grinning as he flashed the membership card.

"Very good. Change into your civilian clothes and head to the Happy Harbor Costco. Good luck. Batman out."

X

Artemis was the first to leave the group they entered the warehouse with a quick, "I'm out." The rest of the team entered as a group, Kaldur getting cart duty ('Dude. You're the leader. Naturally, cart duty falls on you." Wally answered when Kaldur asked why he had to push the infernal basket on wheels. He relaxed when he saw other people pushing them too.) steered it over to the opening display of books.

Kaldur picked one up and began reading.

X

"Yoink," Wally said victoriously as he snatched five samples from a nearby worker. He unceremoniously shoved them down his throat as the old woman behind the stand glared at him. Robin picked one up with a quirk of his lips and a courteous thanks. Wally, whose eyes were already searching the area for more samples, found something almost equally worthwhile.

"Hey, Robin," Wally said, as his I'm Trying to Seduce You And it's Working Because I'm God's Red Haired Gift to Women Look (TM) formed on his face. "Check out the sexy lady."

"The blonde one?"

"Blonde? No! Ug, why would you even ask me that?"

"Jeez," Robin looked up at him. "What's with you and blondes? Did one break your heart or something?" Wally got a far off look in his eyes, so Robin decided not to talk about blondes anymore.

X

"What the_ hell_ are you doing?"

Megan jumped, startled, as Artemis stood a couple of feet away with a This Could Possibly be the Creepiest Thing I've Ever Seen Look (TM) displayed on her face. "Well, after you left everyone left so... here I am."

Artemis shook her head. "No, I mean what the _hell_ are you putting on your _body_?"

"While I was walking I came across this padding. And according to Wally you can sample some of their products, so I decided to try out this one."

"That isn't _padding_ they're _pads_," Artemis felt like taking a couple more steps backwards.

Megan looked confused. "Isn't that the same thing?"

"God, no," Artemis shivered. "Why would you... Let's just go." She ripped off all of Megan's 'samples' and dragged her away.

Needless to say, when a worker walked by the feminine needs aisle, he was very surprised.

X

Robin ditched Wally soon after he began to make a fool of himself in front of some girls. Robin made his way towards the electronics section. He kept watching the expensive looking cameras as he walked, until Robin crashed into what felt like a pole.

Robin looked up, putting a hand to his slightly aching forehead. He was surprised to see that it was Superboy he crashed into. The clone didn't even seem to notice that Robin had crashed into him, eyes glued to one of the plasma TVs on displayed. And when Robin said glued he means glued. His eyes were wide and red and if he didn't have super strength, Robin bumping into him probably would have sent him sprawling into the television.

"Uh... What are you doing?"

"Learning about the upcoming Ice Age," Superboy said quickly, almost madly. "Did you know that we will have to pay the animals an infant so they do not kill us? Or that these animals will talk, have virtually no instincts, and have human feelings? I'm pretty sure that he saber tooth tiger and the mammoth will come out of extinction. Maybe-"

"C'mon, buddy," Robin pulled Superboy away with (surprising) ease. "I think that's enough TV for you today."

He ditched Superboy as he shivered and whispered about the Ice Age to George Bush's book. Robin knew he would be safe in the book section with Kaldur, who was engrossed in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Lightening Thief.

Maybe he could find one of his normal team mates.

Then he realized he didn't have any...

X

"Jerk!" One of Wally's sexy ladies shouted at him before stomping away to the meat section. What was her name again? Wally didn't know, but man, her eyes were like... like... Well, Wally didn't know that either, but he knew they were a shade of... Brown? Whatever.

"Nice one, Slick."

Wally turned to glare at Artemis. What business did she have mocking him, anyway? He didn't see any guys coming to flirt with her. He didn't respond to her, opting to take the no-fighting route, and walked over the fruit section.

Unfortunately, Artemis decided to go into stalker mode and followed him. "What's with you? I didn't do anything to you and you just start talking to me like I ran over your dog or something." Wally kept walking, teeth grit. Maybe if he kept ignoring her she would just go away... "Hey! I'm _talking_ to you!" Artemis said, reaching out to grab his shoulder, now annoyed.

"Get off me!" Wally snapped, shaking off her hand. "Jeez, you're the one that started making fun of me before I even one thing to you! God, this is why I hate blondes!"

"What?" Artemis shouted back. "Okay, I admit that I was a little rude to you-"

"A little?"

"-but the only thing that blondes have in common is hair color! Nothing else!"

"Then why has every blonde girl that I've ever talked to been a total bit-"

"Guys!" Megan whisper-shouted as the crowd around the shouting teens grew. "People are watching us!"

Wally smiled at Megan. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, beautiful." With one last glare at Artemis, Wally was gone.

X

When Kaldur finished his book, he was alone.

Until... He looked to his left and saw Superboy mumbling at some old man on a book.

What an odd clone.

Kaldur dropped the book down with renewed rage (he was momentarily distracted by Superboy. It was hard for him to stay angry). He checked his watch. They had been here for three hours, so everyone should wander back soon enough.

X

Kaldur was right, as everyone gathered around the cart about twenty minutes later. Robin was the only one that actually bothered to pick up anything, and that was only about five things.

"-it was simply outrages, how they portrayed Aquaman. He does not have black hair, or green eyes," Kaldur's usually calm silver eyes wide with the audacity of the book he was reading.

"So you're buying the whole book series, why?" Robin asked, eyebrow raised.

"Well, I," Kaldur's cheeks pinked. "I must read the whole series and report back to Aquaman, of course. Continuing from where I left off, he most certainly does not have a child named Percy. What kind of name is Percy nowadays? It came out of style in the nineteenth century, for mermaid's sake."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Robin said tiredly. He was the most worn out from the trip. "Wait. Did you just say mermaid's sake?"

"You guys think your day was bad?" Came Artemis' voice from behind them. "I was forced to babysit Princess Orange and Green after Freckles yelled at me."

"What did you just call me?"

"You heard me-"

The fight ensued when they reached the front of the line (Robin's headache seemed to grow with every step they took). Good Lord- Mermaid's sake, he meant (Robin smirked) they had been in line for thirty minutes! He hoped that Batman would never send them here ever again...


	4. Arrow, Birthday, Bieber Fever

Written before I watched the new episode, so sorry if I missed anything. Thank you to all of reviewers, you guys are the people that encourage me to write.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck E Cheese, Glee, Justin Bieber, Apple, etc., etc.

X

**Title: Arrow**

**Rating: K+**

**Pairing: None**

_And Green Arrow thinks he's slick_, Artemis thought with a smirk as she followed the tracking device.

She had slipped it on him before meeting the rest of the team, just in case she needed to find him. Green Arrow had stopped moving awhile so Artemis decided to check out what he was doing. Artemis stopped at Star High and checked her tracking device. It said Green Arrow was here but she didn't notice him until she looked up. Perched in a tree was Green Arrow, looking into a nearby classroom.

Huh. Was that why they wore green outfits? Tree camo?

She stealthily climbed up the fence then the tree, landing a couple branches above Green Arrow. Artemis looked into the classroom and froze.

_"What the hell?"_

Green Arrow jumped and quickly looked up. "Artemis what - what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same," Artemis glared as she swung down to the same branch as Green Arrow. "Here looking at Roy through a window. That's called stalking."

"I just wanted to see how he was doing," Green Arrow said softly. He looked down into the school's cafeteria at Speedy - Red Arrow. Would the name ever stick?

Artemis grit her teeth. "I won't ever be good enough, will I?"

"No- Artemis-" Green Arrow called out, but she was already gone. He sighed and leaned against the trunk of the tree.

Why did he always choose the sidekicks with tempers?

**Title: Birthday**

**Rating: T**

**Pairing: None**

_"You've never had a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese?" _

Conner glared at Wally's gaping face. "I've been alive for thirty weeks. I haven't even had a birthday."

Wally grinned. He _so_ had to fix that.

X

And so here they were. Conner sat at the head of the table with an inflated red crown placed on his head. Wally sat beside him with a childish grin on his face, looking around the birthday party area. Robin sat across them, playing on his cell phone as Artemis and Megan watched. Kaldur sat next to Wally, eyes wandering as he took in all of the land culture.

"The lady said we have a little while before we have cake time," Wally clapped Conner on the shoulder. "Let's go play some arcade games!" Wally led the 'birthday' boy away and the rest of the human portion of the team sighed, wondering how they got pulled into this.

X

It was like taking candy from a baby, Wally thought with a grin. With his super speed and Conner's elevated hearing and sight, the arcade games were child's play. Well, literally and metaphorically, Wally thought with a smirk. They already scored three hundred tickets and they had barely even used any of their tokens. Wally and Conner moved from basketball to air hockey to Whack-a-Mole, but no matter how much Wally pleaded, Conner would not get into the playpen ('It's a tradition,' Wally insisted as Conner glared at him).

Robin eventually joined them, followed by Megan and Kaldur, and then Artemis came. Wally hoped that she would stay at the table, but he supposed that he should listen to Kaldur's advice about becoming a team (or something).

It wasn't long before they heard the speakers call for the birthday guests to go to the party area. They made their way back and found the table now adorned with cardboard pizza and their presents neatly stacked.

"Hi everyone!" A falsely perky brunette spoke into the mic. "To get Chuck E out, you have to say his name as loud as you can! Come on everyone! Chuck E! Chuck E!" Wally chanted with all the other kids, and he shook Conner's shoulder to encourage him to join in. He grinned when he heard Conner mutter along.

"Hey kids!" Chuck E 'shouted' as he ran out from the back room. All the kids screamed, but Conner froze.

"What... What _is_ that thing?" Conner's eyes went wide as he turned to look at Wally.

Wally blinked. "That's Chuck E Cheese."

"Why... Why does he look like that?"

Wally furrowed his brow. "Dude. It's a guy in a costume."

"Why would someone want to look like that?" Superboy looked vaguely disgusted, but didn't say anything more.

Soon enough the cake was being brought out. Wally grinned as he imagined Conner's face. "Wow," Conner's lips quirked. "This is nice." The cake had the same design and coloring as Superboy's shirt.

"Thanks," Wally said, handing him a knife. "Why don't you do the honors?"

After all the cake was cut and passed out, they decided to open presents. Wally's present was first. Conner made a small attempt to carefully get off the wrapping paper until he got frustrated and ripped it all off. He lifted a shirt from the box. He showed it to them. It was a black shirt with a red a The Flash insignia on it. Conner looked to Wally.

"Well, since you're always wearing the one Superman all the time, I thought you might like another one," He looked up to Superboy. "You like it?"

Conner smiled a little wider. "Yeah, I do."

Next was Artemis. Conner frowned at the box and lifted it up to show everyone. Wally and Robin were surprised.

"You got him _condoms_?" Wally gaped at her.

She grinned. "I figure he'd need it soon enough."

"But you got him a five hundred pack. Where did you even _find_ it?"

Artemis shrugged. "I got it while we were at Costco."

Megan got him a writing book. "So you can practice your writing," Megan told him.

Kaldur got him some sort of weird Atlantian armor. "I know you'll probably never need it," He smile to Superboy, "But it is a custom to give someone on Atlantis."

Robin got him an iTouch. "I'll teach you how to use it later," He promised.

Wally was never thanked for Conner's birthday party. But he considered it a victory, as Conner smiled more that day than Wally had seen the whole time they had known each other.

**Title: Bieber Fever**

**Rating: K**

**Pairing: None**

When Superboy got his first iPod, Robin just assumed that he would listen to screamo.

He was wrong.

Robin sat in the living room, typing away on his laptop. The base was pretty much deserted, all of the team going about their own business. Superboy passed through, ear buds glued to his ears, as they had been since he got them. Robin heard a faint humming, and he blocked it out until he came through again and he recognized the tune.

_"Are you listening to Justin Bieber?"_

Superboy turned to look at him. "Yeah. So?"

"N-nothing. Can I see your iPod for a minute?" Robin stuttered. Superboy nodded. He scrolled through the list of songs with wide eyes. Holy grilled cheesus. They were all sung by Justin Bieber. Both of his albums all on Superboy's iPod. Robin looked at the song Superboy was listening to. One Less Lonely Girl. He bit the inside of his cheek to kelp from laughing. "Here-here's your iPod back."

Superboy took it and walked out of the room, humming with renewed gumption.


	5. Belief, Shrink, An Oddity

Has anyone else noticed that some sort of Superboy's chest is showing in almost every episode? Not that I mind, lol. Illcida gave me the idea for Shrink, so thank you. I love your feedback. Ideas are always welcome, and I will to the best of my ability write them.

Thanks again to my reviewers, and if you review, remember there's more of a chance that I'll update sooner ;)

**Title: Belief**

**Rating: K**

**Pairing: None**

When Wally was a kid, he wanted to believe in magic. He really did.

He wanted to believe the urban legends were real. That there was an obese man in the North Pole that gave away presents if you were 'nice.' That fairies do exists and have large bank accounts that give you money for something that happens naturally.

Wally remembers his first trip to Disneyland, the promises of magic and wonder sullied by costumes and cardboard.

(He told his parents he knew they were fake. They continued to lie.)

Was it too much to ask for something to believe in? Something real, with actual proof? Eventually, Wally found that thing. Science. It had the answers for everything, why the sky was blue, why it rained. Wally placed his belief in that.

But that was corrupted too. After his encounter with Dr. Fate, Wally was left spinning. Everything he knew had turned into lies, first magic then science then magic was turned into truth along with science. How could two things so different be so similar? So he tried to believe in both. Wally still studied science in his free time, and when something unexplainable came his way, he turned to magic.

That belief hasn't let him down yet.

**Title: Shrink**

**Rating: K+**

**Pairing: None**

Superman walked down the wide expanse of beach on Mount Justice. He contemplated going up to talk to Superboy, as he had originally planned, but decided to wait a little longer.

His clone had probably already heard him snooping around outside, anyway. Clark just... Wasn't ready yet. But it was either now, when Superboy's emotions and powers were (kind of) under control, or later, when they were completely crazy. Clark knew he needed to go in a talk to the kid but jeez, weren't dads usually given nine months to prepare for being a father? And weren't most children that came out infants?

All of a sudden, Superman's head was spinning and he had the vague sense that he was falling on the softer-than-concrete-but-not-quite-as-soft-as-his-bed sand.

The world faded to black.

X

"We have a problem."

Wally gaped. "You killed Superman?"

Superboy glared. "What would the point in that be?"

"I dunno, you're the one that came in here carrying over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes or something."

_"You killed Superman?"_

Robin, who just walked in was frozen in place. Wally could almost see his eyes darting from Wally to Superman to Superboy.

"No- God, why do people keeping asking me that?" He shook his head. "I heard him land about an hour ago and he started to walk. I went down to the beach when he stopped and found him unconscious."

"Oh my gosh!" Megan stood in the doorway, hands over her mouth. "What did you do to-?"

"I didn't do anything to him!" Superboy snapped. He dropped the unconscious Superman onto the couch. His head landed in Wally's lap. Wally winced and slowly pushed it off. "I found him this way-"

"Whoa!" Artemis, having just come out of the kitchen, looked over to Superboy. "I knew you'd crack one day!"

Superboy's eyes became wild, so Wally decided to step in. "Uh, how about we try to see what's wrong with Superman first, alright?"

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Robin asked.

"I can try to see what's wrong with him," Megan volunteered. Everyone looked at her and she raised her hands in an 'I surrender' motion. "No mind reading, I swear."

She walked over to Superman and moved her hands so that they hovered over his chest. They faintly glowed, and Megan squeaked after a moment.

"What's wrong?" Wally demanded, having already sped over to her.

"N-nothing," She sputtered. "It's just... What he has, it's not usually found here."

"Where is it usually found?" Kaldur asked.

Wally nearly peed his pants. "When did you get here?"

Kaldur blinked. "I have been here the whole time," He turned to Megan. "Please continue."

"Well... It's usually found on Mars."

X

Once they had gotten the fact that the disease is not life threatening, everyone calmed down a bit.

That is, until they were told what the next symptom was.

"How is that even _possible_?" Wally looked towards his friends, who were all frozen (all except for Megan).

"It's... Actually very common on Mars. For any other species to get it is rare," She frowned. "Luckily, there is an antidote."

"We should inform the League. Before that, I think we should figure out what might have caused this," Kaldur gave a pointed look towards Megan, and everyone else's glaze followed.

She winced. "I might've run into Superman at the base before I was vaccinated."

"Where can we get the antidote?" Artemis chimed in.

Megan's eyes lit up. "Hello Megan! Uncle Jon will be on his way home from his mission in a couple of hours and maybe he can go to Mars and get the antidote," She bounced happily. "I'll go contact him!"

Megan ran from the room, and Young Justice looked at each other.

"So... When do you think the second stage will start?" Wally asked for the conversation.

"I dunno but him just lying there is kinda creepy," Robin said, looking down at Superman's prone figure.

"It feels like he's gonna jump up, like at the end of a horror movie when you think the monster is dead," Artemis agreed.

All of a sudden, Superman's body twitched. Wally screamed.

"Stop- stop laughing!" Wally screeched, his voice raising a couple octaves as a blush rose to his face. Robin clutched his stomach, and Artemis rubbed at the tears trailing down her face from the force of her laughing. A smile tugged at Kaldur's lips.

"Shut up!" Superboy snapped. "He's shrinking."

They all watched with wide eyes as Superman grew smaller and smaller until he was six inches tall. Wally was the first to move, slowly pushing his index finger to poke Superman. His hand was shoved back.

Wally held his hand to his chest. "What the-"

"He's awake," Superboy announced. "He's asking where he is."

"Why can't we hear him?" Robin asked, coming in for a closer look.

"His voice shrunk along with him," Superboy explained. "It would be impossible for your hearing to pick up the noises he's making."

"He still has super strength," Wally muttered, looking down at his hand.

"Oh, man up," Artemis snapped. "We're all at Mount Justice. Do you remember coming here?"

"He does," Superboy looked down at the miniature version of the man he was cloned after. "He doesn't remember anything after that, though."

"Good news, guys!" Megan grinned as she came into the room. "Uncle Jon can get the antidote! He says he'll be back in a couple hours!"

"Great, now he can hurt me more..." Wally grumbled.

"He says he heard that," Superboy droned.

"Are you hungry, Superman?" Megan prodded, smiling at the small figure. Superboy reported that he would, and Megan went off to the kitchen. She returned with a bite sized piece of chicken breast on a napkin and placed in front of Superman on the couch. The team watched a Superman downed the chicken piece by piece and when he was finished, everything was silent.

Kaldur stood. "I'll go report this to rest of the League."

Wally wished he would have thought of that to get out of the awkward situation.

"...how about we watch some TV?" Robin suggested awkwardly, sitting as far away from Superman and turning on the television. Artemis sat next to Robin, and Wally got the pleasure of sitting next to Superman.

Superboy shifted awkwardly, before he turned to leave the room. He was almost out before he froze and they all watched as Superman slowly flew out after him. When the two left the room, the rest of the team relaxed. At least the 'father and son' wound finally talk.

X

Superboy walked towards his room with Superman flying beside him. He was probably flying as fast as he could, and Superboy inwardly smirked as to how much the hero had fallen.

A Martian disease decided to pray on The Man of Steel and won? This was too good to be true.

Superboy walked into his room. It was devoid of any real possessions that made a room look like it belonged to someone. He sat on his bed. Superman sat beside him, near his hand.

He heard Superman sigh. "I came here today to apologize for my actions."

Superboy blinked down at Superman. He really wasn't expecting that.

"I shouldn't have denied for so long you're my... My son," He looked up into eyes so much like his own. "I hope you can forgive me."

Superboy's face was blank, so Clark supposed that he didn't want to talk anymore. He rose from his position.

"I forgive you."

Clark smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off.

"But... It was bad. Being rejected, I mean," Superboy was calm as he looked down at his father. "It might take a while for me to fully forgive you."

"That's-that's okay," Superman said, amazed. This kid was great. "And- hey, to get closer to you forgive me, how about we give you a name?"

"A name?" Superboy raised his eyebrow.

"Well yeah. We can't just go around calling you Superboy for the rest of your life."

"I haven't really thought of anything," Superboy stated truthfully.

"I've always liked the name Conner," Superboy looked down at him and Clark flushed. "If it's okay with you."

Superboy smiled. "Conner."

Clark nodded. "Conner Kent."

X

Jon arrived three hours later with the antidote and a scolding for Megan. Most of the team relaxed at the hero's leaving, but Superboy seemed disappointed.

"I'll see you soon, Conner," Superman promised with a smile and a ruffle of his hair.

Everyone looked around. "Who's Conner?"

**Title: An Oddity**

**Rating: K+**

**Pairing: None**

Kaldur never felt comfortable with the land people. He felt like his gills were unnatural, his eyes bleached silver and the fins on his hands just plain odd.

Don't get him wrong, he felt comfortable around Robin and Artemis and Wally, but they were all odd in their own way. Whenever he went out in public on land he felt as if everyone's eyes were on him, watching and waiting to see if he was different.

Kaldur was taller than most land women and some men. He always feels like he stuck out in all the wrong ways.

His hair, cut short like every standard Atlantian warrior, was white. Just white. From Kaldur's understanding, it was not normal for someone of his coloring and age on land to have white hair.

Their language – odd. The way they spoke it was all together went against the rules of the language.

Robin broke the rules the most with his made up words and Wally came after that with his 'dudes.' The more Superboy talked to Robin the worse his speech became, and Artemis had some problems, but they were bearable. Megan's language was almost perfect, thank mermaid.

When he conversed with civilians while off the job, they always seemed nervous around him, like they knew he wasn't from here.

Once, while speaking to his team, he tried to speak like them. Robin and Wally began to laugh, Artemis joining soon after. Megan's lips twitched upwards into a smile and Superboy looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

As Young Justice laughed at his expense, Kaldur smiled.

He may not fit in with the land people, but he fit in here.

Kaldur wasn't an oddity while he was with his friends.


	6. Light Box, Teenage Crisis, Guitar Guy

Um, yeah. SO sorry about the delay on this chapter. I wish I could be one of those authors that are like, I was reviewing all of the chapters so I couldn't update, but… I just couldn't think of anything. Urg -_-.

OH! And, I like Artemis now. She's growing on me. A little cameo by Lance from Sym-Bionic Titan at the end.

Artemis 3rd Gate gave me the idea for Light Box, so thank you. You're awesome.

**Title: Light Box**

**Rating: K+**

**Pairing: None**

It was hard, getting used to a new base. Robin was used to the Bat Cave that had was dark and dank, where there was the constant rummaging of the bats in the higher rooms. He wasn't saying that he had it the worst. Robin knew that Miss Martian and Aqualad had come from completely different worlds. He and Kid Flash had it easy.

Still - it was different. There was actually light here, and everything was brightly colored. Hell, they could even hear birds chirping in the morning. They also got responsibilities that came with living 'alone.' the team had to wash their own clothes, make their own food, and do their homework without someone reminding them to take care of themselves.

Another responsibility, Robin was beginning to notice, was taking care of Superboy. The clone barely knew how to do anything by himself or control himself. It seemed like every day that he snapped, smashing a table or a wall or something. Robin couldn't help but blame it on Superman for not properly handling the situation after Cadmus. He knows that it must have come as a shock to Superman to have clone (or son) but, come on. Superman is an adult.

After Superboy smashed a particularly expensive piece of technology the morning that they had come back from Cadmus, he hid in his room for the rest of the day. Robin remembers one way Superboy had to adapt to the base...

X

Superboy wandered around the base for a while, a deep scowl etched on his face. He didn't mean to smash it, his emotions just got out of control sometimes. He slowly made his way around the base before walking into the living room and froze.

There was light coming out of a box.

There was light coming out of a freakin' box!

He stared. Superboy had seen the box before, when Miss Martian had shown them around the base, but he passed it off as another piece of odd Earth furniture.

The box was wondrous. People appeared and disappeared in the light, and the scenery changed. Everything seemed to be controlled by the rectangle thing Kid Flash was holding as the light changed from one thing to another. Superboy even saw animated things moving! Drawings were moving!

Superboy sat heavily next to Kid Flash and stared. He could hear the slight rustle of Wally's hair as he turned to him, but Superboy couldn't look away. There was an odd boy with a triangle shaped head with a green haired boy dancing on the screen singing about summer.

Superboy continued to watch, until Wally got up and the light went off. He growled, and the light was quickly restored to the box.

Superboy smiled fondly at it.

**Title: Teenage Crisis**

**Rating: K**

**Pairing: None**

Barry knew when his nephew was home, even when he was trying to be sneaky about it. There was always the open cabinet, the missing leftovers.

This time, however, Wally was not trying to be sneaky. Empty jars of pickles, jelly, and pretty much everything Barry could think of was all over his counters. He felt the beginnings of a headache above his left eye as he walked into the dark living room, ready to give his nephew a good lecture.

Barry stopped when he saw Wally's face. His eyes and nose were red, and Wally was sniffling as he tunneled cake into his mouth. A pile of tissues were on Barry's coffee table, the box not too far away.

Barry had never seen Wally like this. He stared unseeingly at the television as Tom chased Jerry around on TV. He didn't even twitch when Barry turned the light on. This was serious.

"Wally?" Barry asked cautiously as he slowly made his way into the middle of the living room. Wally jumped when his name was said, and he turned towards his uncle. When Wally looked at him, his face screwed up and his ran at him. Barry grunted as he was tackled at full speed by a sobbing fourteen year old boy.

"Wally," Barry frowned and put a hand through the bright red hair beneath him. "What's wrong?"

"She- she," Wally hiccupped as he tried to put a sentence together. "She broke up with me."

She? She who?"

"Hayley," Wally moaned as if just saying the name was a punch in the face. Barry remembered. He thought back months ago to Wally's love struck proclamations about at girl in his school. Hayley, with the long blonde hair and perfect blue eyes. Hayley, with the body of a dancer and who had straight A's. Hayley, the girl that Wally had been mooning over the past six months and had finally convinced her to go out with him a month ago. Hayley, who had apparently broken his nephew's heart.

"Oh, Wally..." Barry's eyes visibly saddened. He hoped that Wally wouldn't go through the mandatory teenage heartbreak for a couple years.

"She did something worse than break up with me," Wally clung tighter. "She cheated on me." Barry led him to the couch again. They talked about Hayley, how he felt about her, and what she did to him. By the end of the night Wally was smiling and they were able to trash talk her. Wally fell asleep on the couch watching Phineas and Ferb.

Barry sighed at patted Wally's back with a small smile.

He may not be able to stop every teenage crisis, but he could help.

**Title: Guitar Guy**

**Rating: T**

**Pairing: Superboy X Lance, if you squint**

Superboy had been dreading this day.

It was September, and Robin was in school. The small, black haired boy had become his only entertainment during lonely days at the base, and now he was otherwise occupied.

Just like the rest of the team. Not you. You're just a weapon. Superboy roughly shook his head and jumped off from the ground. He was being to hate even his own thoughts.

Superboy headed west, to a place called Sherman, Illinois. There had been some alien and robot sightings, according to Batman. He was going to do some investigating. He snorted. This was just something to keep him out of trouble.

The hell...? Superboy made it to the outskirts by sunset and stared openly up at the large claws. They were huge, and Superboy looked up to find that they abruptly stopped. After he was finished with his staring he kicked off to higher ground to take a picture with his iTouch. This should be enough proof for Batman.

Superboy grit his teeth. He knew would never be anything but a tool or an inconvenience. Knowing didn't make it any better. Just as he was about to kick off, Superboy heard a guitar playing. He looked over and enhanced his vision to see a dark haired teenager idly playing the instrument. Superboy didn't know why, but something about the guy reminded him of himself. Maybe it was the way he hunched dejectedly as he sat, or the far off look in his eye.

Superboy hopped over to him a quietly as he could, and peered at the boy from behind a bush. He must have not been as quiet as he thought, because the boy looked straight at where he was hiding and scowled. Superboy stepped out from behind the bush, ready to kick off if the stranger looked unhappy with his presence.

The guitar teenager smiled and patted the expanse of rock next to him. Superboy moved, as if on autopilot, and plopped down next to him. There was the awkward silence that seemed to follow Superboy around before the boy spoke up.

"Do you play?" Superboy frowned at shook his head.

The other boy's smiled remained. "I could teach you. My name's Lance."

"Sure," Superboy smiled as best as he knew how to. "I'm - um. Conner." He still wasn't used to being called anything but Superboy.

"Cool," Lance slid closer and moved the guitar so it rested in both of their laps. He took Conner's hand and placed it on the top part and told him what to hold and when. Lance strummed and Conner messed up the rhythm so horribly that he felt his face flush.

"Sorry," Superboy looked away shamefully. Would he ever get anything right?

"It's okay," Lance reassured before repeating his instructions. Superboy got it better this time, but it didn't sound like it did when he first heard Lance play it.

Superboy frowned in concentration to play the song right and not break the guitar in frustration when he got it wrong. This continued for longer than Superboy thought it did, because when he looked up in triumph when he got it right, the sun was down. He grinned at Lance and he smiled back.

"Good job," Lance stood up and put his guitar back into its case. "Sorry, but it's getting late. I gotta go home. You probably should too."

I don't have a real home, Superboy thought spitefully as Lance began to walk away. Lance turned around. "See you around?"

Superboy smiled.

"Yeah."


	7. Costume, Metro, Rain

Is anyone else kinda ticked that they won't have a new episode for a couple of weeks? Well, I guess they need some time to write more episodes, yadda yadda yadda.

OH, and if you're wondering I made Wally fourteen in the last chapter because I wanted it to be obvious that this was before Young Justice was formed.

**Title: Costume**

**Rating: K**

**Pairing: None**

"Robin, I've always wondered this, but why is your costume like that?"

Robin looked over to Artemis, who was inspecting his costume. They had all returned from a mission, too tired and lazy to do anything but crash on the couch. "What do you mean?"

"Well- Batman wears all black to blend in with the night right? So- as his sidekick- shouldn't you wear all black too?"

"Not all sidekicks wear the same colors as their mentors," Kid Flash reminded her in a not so friendly tone of voice.

Artemis replied with a narrow of her eyes. "I know that, I mean, Gotham City at night is when all the bad stuff happens, so shouldn't you wear black to blend in?"

KF and Robin both opened their mouth for a rebuttal, but Superboy chimed in. "It isn't normal for a kid dressed like a traffic light to be running around with a guy dressed like giant bat at all hours of the night."

Everyone froze.

Robin gaped, his mouthing opening and closing. Kid Flash began to laugh uncontrollably, until he could feel Robin glaring at him from behind his sunglasses.

Miss Martian fought back a grin. "It's not nice to say things like that, Superboy."

He raised an eyebrow. "I was only telling the truth."

Aqualad, previously silent, spoke up. "It_ is_ good to tell the truth." Everyone broke out into laughter and Robin sulked.

They were all going to wake up tomorrow with a kidney missing.

**Title: Metro**

**Rating: K**

**Pairing: None**

It became a habit for Superboy to ride the metro.

At first it had been just to look at all the different people and personalities. The stylish pre-teen girl blabbing away on her cell phone, or the calm looking middle aged man with a backpack. The twenty-something guy with the tattoos, or the tired looking brother and sister on their way home from school. The young mother with a newborn pressed to her chest.

When Superboy first began riding, he openly stared at people. This usually got negative reactions in the form of glares and sneers. Once, a man had got up and began to yell at Superboy while the bus was moving. His first reaction was to punch the man, but he then remembered Batman's condition for riding the bus. Not to hurt any delicate humans. Superboy clenched the pole next to him until the man realized he wasn't going to get a reaction before stalking back to his seat. When Superboy let go of the pole, there where large hand shaped indents in them.

There were the positive responses too. When Superboy had been caught staring by a girl in a mini skirt, she grinned flirtatiously back. When the guy with the skate board looked up and his lips quirked before going back to his iPod.

One time he had been berated by the bus driver when he had sat in front for eating his lunch, (Megan packed it for him when she found out what he did all day) then kicked off at the next stop.

He blinked and looked around for a moment. What should he do now? Superboy considered going back to Mount Justice, but decided against it.

Superboy sat down and waited for the next bus to come.

**Title: Rain**

**Rating: K+**

**Pairing: None**

Superboy's mind registered the steady _plop plop plop _on his skin, but his body didn't. It was too delicate for his thick skin to feel.

He was mesmerized by the drops on water gliding over his body, and Superboy briefly compared it to a shower before he killed the idea.

(Rain came and went as it pleased. It couldn't be controlled.)

Superboy knew he should have felt the cool temperatures and that any normal human would be dead. Until he realized he wasn't human.

(Was so wrong to try to be free?)

He threw his head back to the sky and tried to focus on every drop as it fell on him, the sharp feeling of contact, then the feeling of it pooling on his skin until gravity took effect and it fell back. Superboy knew that eventually the rain would be absorbed back into the clouds (evaporation, he told himself) then cleansed for another rain. He wondered how long the oldest drop of rain had been around, until he realized that water didn't have ages and that him thinking about it was weird.

(Was it wrong to try to be normal?)

He knew that the rain was gathering into puddles around his feet, but the thick soles of his combat boots blocked out any water. Superboy wanted to stay out in the rain forever, but he knew that someone would come out soon to for a mission, or training or something that the Justice League set up.

(Unlike the rain, Superboy wasn't free. He was controlled.)


	8. On the Way

Been awhile, huh? Yeah, sorry for that. I've been having some serious writer's block, but the ideas are starting to come back slowly but surely. Since I do want there to be updates, for a while there will only be one story instead of three for every chapter.

**Title: On the Way**

**Pairing: None**

**Rating: T**

The way home to Bialya was definitely worse than actually being there. They have all learned new things about each other – some good, most bad.

Artemis can feel Kid Flash's eyes bore into the back of her head. She briefly considers turning around, but decides against it. He would probably ask about her dad and she doesn't want her past revealed just yet.

Aqualad has it the worst physically. He is still weak from dehydration and mumbles to himself desperately, _Tula, Tula_. It's especially hard for the team to see him like this. Aqualad always seemed like the stronger, more untouchable one. They had always known his weakness but actually seeing the effects was worse than imagining it.

Superboy and Miss Martian seem to be the only ones who have come out of this with having gained something. Miss Martian's powers have spiked, and she can feel a physic clarity that she has never felt before. Superboy can hear their new toy role around in the cargo part of the bio ship, and feels a sense of togetherness he's never felt in his short lifetime. They cast sidelong glances at each other and smile.

Kid Flash stares distrustfully at Artemis. Why would her dad want to kill anybody? Moreover, why would Artemis actually kill anybody? He considers calling her out in front of everybody but remembers how he felt about her in the desert – how even though she acted how she normally did around him, he felt a pang of affection for her. Kid Flash slides down in his seat and scowls.

Robin – sitting in the back – stares at all of his teammates. Artemis looks indifferently forward, Kid Flash bores holes into her head with his eyes, Miss Martian and Superboy can't keep this eyes off each other, and Aqualad looks as if he's in a drunken stupor.

Robin realizes that Bialya has changed them more than they can imagine.


	9. To Be a Hero

Kind of my take on how Robin became a hero and stuff. Reviews are always appreciated.

X

The first time Dick ever considers being hero is in the garden in Wayne Manor. It isn't even his idea.

Bruce crouches down next to Dick, his hulking, broad body covering all of Dick's view of the sun. "How would you like to be a hero?"

Dick had always been small for his age, and at eight he stood unashamed at four foot nothing. Dick still knew the acrobatics his parents taught him and trained religiously, practicing until he knew that his parents would have been proud of him. His eyes were large - too large for his face - and people often compared them to robin eggs. He liked that, and often compared his gymnastics to flying. Dick's favorite colors were green, red, and yellow, and he often wore a mix of the three, to Alfred and Bruce's distaste. His hair was black and messy, mostly because he never bothered to brush it.

"You mean like Batman?" Dick asked, eyes wide and star struck.

"Yes. Exactly like Batman," Bruce lead the small boy to the Batcave and to where the rest of his life would begin.

X

His lungs burned with every breath and everything positively hurt. But Dick plowed forward, because he wanted to be a hero, he wanted to help people. But he wavered on his next step and Dick felt his knees buckle and he collapsed from exhaustion.

Batman - watching from the shadows - walks over to him and cradled the small boy to his chest. Dick was doing better than he had thought, never whining or complaining. Batman knew he made the right choice.

X

"Why can't I patrol with you yet?" That seemed to dominate most of the conversations recently. Why did you teach me these moves if I never get to use them? Why did you tell me I could be a hero if you didn't mean it? Bruce, why are you so _lame_?

"Because you're not ready yet."

"What? I train everyday, I've studied all of the tactics, all of the moves and I know how to hack. How can I not be ready?"

Bruce turned around and gave him a hard glance, but Dick didn't back down. "You don't even have a design for a costume yet."

"Yeah I do!" He handed Bruce a paper. Paper folded and the edges were frayed, it was obvious that Dick had drawn it a long time ago and carried it around everywhere. The drawing was messy and some colors went out of the lines, but Bruce could see the general picture.

"No."

"What? Why not?"

"The costume is too bright. The idea is to blend in with the darkness,

not stand out. "

"But those are my parent's colors," Dick said softly.

"... Fine."

A grin spread over Dick's face. "Thanks Bruce! You won't regret it!"

He plucked the picture from Bruce's hand and ran to Alfred, saying something about knowing he'd come around and when they would be getting the costume because they ordered it three days ago.

Bruce's lips quirked. No regret, indeed.

X

The first fight that Robin is in, he immediately freezes up when the gang member jumps at him. Then everything slows down, and he suddenly knows what to do and how to block. Robin punches his jaw mid lounge and delivers a sharp kick to his head that throws him into an alley wall and knocks him unconscious.

Bruce had already taken down the other five members and nods at Dick approvingly. He shoots his grappling hook at a nearby building, and they're off into the night.

X

The first time Robin thinks about being a solo hero is when he's in the middle of a fight. He was alone in a wing of the building, taking care of some goons while Batman took out the mastermind behind the situation. Robin knocks away one of the few remaining people and thinks, _This is so easy I could do it myself._ The thought is so foreign that he drops his guard for a second, giving one of them just enough time to deliver a blow to his side. Robin is immediately back on track, and quickly takes care of the last one.

Months later, even when he forgets about the fight, Robin still thinks about being a hero.

X

The first time Dick brings up being a solo hero, they're eating breakfast.

He had turned thirteen a couple weeks earlier and almost always felt awkward in his new, lanky body. Dick shovels in another forkful of Alfred's waffles. "I should probably learn some new one man tactics," He shrugs in what he hopes is indifferently. "For when I become a solo hero."

Bruce's gaze drops to Dick's. "What?"

"More tactics," Dick says slower. "For when I become a solo hero."

"I let you patrol with me, and I let you fight with me," His glance turns harsh. "Isn't that enough?"

Dick feels an ashamed flush forming on the back of his neck. Shouldn't this be enough? "It's not like I'm going to be living with you forever," Dick stumbles through his words. "I may not be in Gotham forever."

The silence is heavy as it weighs down on Dick's shoulders. "I wouldn't mind you becoming a solo hero," Bruce says, finally breaking the silence. "I will miss you when you're gone, though."

Dick's smile is wide, and Batman knew he made the right decision, all those years ago.


	10. A Day at Gotham Academy

**Title: A Day at Gotham Academy**

**Rating: K**

**Pairing: Artemis X Robin friendship**

Artemis scowled at her reflection and yanked the green tie out of her hair for the fifth time. Why couldn't she get this right? She fought super villains the police couldn't handle on a daily basis and she couldn't even do her own hair?

"You must really be out of it," Her mother commented and Artemis jumped. "You didn't even notice me."

"Just a little nervous." Understatement of the century.

"Let me help," Her mother smiled and wheeled into the room. Artemis bent down on her knees and frowned. The floor wouldn't have been so cold if the private school didn't have a freaking uniform with a skirt. "It won't be so bad," Her mother said as Artemis got off the floor.

"Doubt it," Artemis muttered as she left for the long trek to the good side of town.

X

"Good Lord," Artemis murmured as she stared into the school. The place screamed money. Awards donned every hall way, students had designer backpacks and there was a different gymnasium for every sport in the world. "What a waste." And they couldn't have used the money to help out people who aren't filthy freaking rich?

"Pretty sure muttering to yourself isn't a good way to make friends," Came a voice from behind her. Artemis jumped. She really was out of it.

She turned and sized the kid up. He was short, with messy black hair and a perfectly pressed uniform. "Pretty sure sneaking up on people isn't a good way to make friends."

"True," He said a grin on his face. "But I'm not the one trying to make friends, am I?"

She could feel a scowl etching its way onto her face and the kid immediately backed off. "Kidding," He said, pushing his hand out. "I'm Dick Grayson."

Artemis could hear Wally guffawing at his name in the back of her head. "Artemis Crock," she said, grasping his hand in a shake. She looked down at her schedule. "Do you have any idea where room 402 is?"

"Yeah, that's my homeroom. Guess we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."

Great.

X

Most of the classes passed with minimal interruption.

...Probably because she glared at anyone who tried to get close to her.

Artemis knew it was petty of her, but she really didn't want to deal with any rich kids, much less be their friend. What would they do when they figured out she wasn't spoiled rotten? It would save her the trouble if she didn't try to make any friends. Dick still followed her around like a lost puppy though. No matter how hard she tried to shake him off, he just popped up three seconds later. Artemis snapped when he sat next to her at lunch.

"Would you stop following me around? I don't need your pity," Artemis raised her voice into a high pitch. "Oh, there goes the new poor girl with the scholarship, she doesn't have any friends," She grit her teeth and looked away. "Just leave me alone."

Artemis heard Dick sigh and sit next to her. She turned to him, ready to lay it on him until she saw the look on his face. His eyes were hard and his frown was deep. "I promise I've never thought that about you. I saw someone in a new environment that needed a friend. That's it. I just want to be friends with you."

"Oh." No one had ever said that to her. There was always a motive, a secret. Artemis could tell Dick was telling the truth. It was hard for her to adapt to a new environment. She thought back to what she said to KF when she first saw him. All of a sudden she felt ashamed. Artemis coughed into her hand to hide her embarrassment. "Sorry."

"It's cool. Want to go get lunch? Today they're selling pizza."

X

"So. Have fun today at school?"

There's something familiar about that smirk…

"Dick?" Artemis asks in a hushed voice.

"That's a rude thing to say."

She narrows her eyes at Robin, but shakes it off. There's no way.


	11. Conversation with Robin and KF

Just how I think Robin and Kid Flash's conversations are.

Review?

X

Title: Converstion with Robin and KF

Rating: K

Pairing: None

"I win. Again."

There was something about that smirk that Kid Flash did _not_ like.

"Dude! You are way too competitive!"

Robin sniffed. "Am not."

"Are to!"

"Not."

"To!"

"Not-"

"Will you be quiet?" Artemis snapped, angry face appearing above her magazine. It was silent for all of two seconds before they started back up.

"You've won nine rounds in a row!"

"Ever think I'm just better than you, KF?"

Kid Flash stared at him for a minute. "Harsh much?"

"Since you obviously can't think of a better come back, I win."

"Only because I'm astounded at your attitude toward your best friend."

"I. Win."

"You have a _problem_!"

"Best twelve out of thirteen?"

Kid Flash picked up his controller and faced the television. "You are so on."

Artemis sighed and shook her head. Would Wally ever learn?


	12. Pieces

Summary: After Megan and Superboy's first fight, Artemis is there to pick up the pieces.

X

Title: Pieces

Rating: T

Pairing: Miss Martian X Superboy

"I don't want to talk to Superman!" Superboy growls, teeth grit as he faces Megan.

"It will be good for you!" Megan looks at him intensely before dropping her voice to a softer tone. "Don't you want a father?"

_"He doesn't want me!"_ Conner shouts at her, finally snapping. His fist smashes through the kitchen counter, and Megan lets out a startled cry. Conner looks at her frightened eyes before turning and walking away.

"Don't go-" Megan tries to call him back, but he's already out the door.

X

After hearing Megan's and Conner's fight (hadn't the whole mountain heard Conner's shouts?) Artemis decides to stay out of it. It wasn't any of her business until Megan comes into her room a blubbering mess. It was hard to hear anything through the Martian's sobs, but what Megan wanted her to do was clear. Find Conner and see if he's okay. Artemis almost told her no, the last thing she needed was a confrontation with an angry Kryptionian. But Megan looked at her with big red eyes, and Artemis couldn't bring herself to make her anymore upset.

And that's where Artemis was now. Conner had stormed out of the base shortly after the couple's fight, but she knew he wouldn't go too far. Artemis scaled the mountain before seeing Conner sitting on the edge of a cliff, feet dangling over the ocean.

He doesn't acknowledge Artemis as she walks towards him, but she knows he's listening.

Artemis decides to get right to the point as she sits down next to him. "That was some fight, huh?"

Conner turns his head away from her.

"You know, you really made her upset back there."

No response.

"She's worried sick, crying all over herself."

"That wouldn't have happened if she had just left it alone."

"What? That Superman refuses to acknowledge you?"

There's a tense in the muscles of Conner's arms, so Artemis decides to backtrack. "She just wants what's best for you."

"It isn't her choice."

"I know that. She just likes you so much that she wants the world for you, even if you don't want it. Megan would do anything for you."

It's quiet for a while. Artemis listens to the waves crashing below her and watches the sun setting in front.

"I know." Superboy looks at Artemis the first time since she sat down. "It's hard for me to tell her that Superman is a sore subject. And when I do tell her, all she does is push me to talk to him."

"It's simple," Artemis shrugged. "You tell her what told me, and she'll stop, I promise. Just don't get angry."

"Getting angry is kind of my thing," Superboy says with a lopsided grin.

"I've noticed," Artemis smiles back and stands up. She offers Conner her hand. "We should get back. Your girlfriend's probably spazzing out."


End file.
